Greens call for urgent action to protect our coastline against climate change

Submitted by Louise Sales on Thu, 01/12/2011 - 13:03

Hon Lynn MacLaren MLC, the Greens spokesperson on planning, moved a motion in Parliament today calling upon the WA Government to urgently update its planning rules for the West Australian coast to take account of the projected impacts of climate change.

The call follows the release by the Antarctic Climate Centre this week of more than 40 peer reviewed publications showing that the Southern Ocean is heating faster than other major oceans.

“With more than 80 per cent of Western Australians living by the coast, we are amongst those that will be most affected by the impacts of climate change, yet the Government has failed to address the very real threat posed to coastal communities,” said Ms MacLaren.

“Unlike other states, and despite having the longest coastline of any state, Western Australia still has no integrated strategy for dealing with development in our coastal zone,” added Ms MacLaren.

In response to the motion, the Government indicated that soon it would publicly release the State Coastal Planning Policy 2.6, which is now out of date and inadequate to deal with the challenges presented by the present and projected impacts of climate change on our coastal regions. But they refused to say when this draft would be released,” said Ms MacLaren.

Speakers from the Nationals and the ALP supported the motion.

“Other states, such as South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland, have been far more proactive on this issue, with Queensland enacting a Coastal Management and Protection Act in 1995. It’s time the WA Government treated this issue with the urgency and gravity it deserves,” concluded Ms MacLaren.

In Western Australia the following infrastructure would be affected by a sea level rise of 1.1 metres:

  • 1,500 – 2,100 commercial buildings with replacement values estimated at $12–$17 billion.
  • 600 - 900 light industrial buildings with replacement values estimated at $0.7–$1.1 billion.
  • 7,500 and 9,100 km of roadway, much of it unsealed, with a replacement value estimated at $8.7-$11.3 billion.
  • 20,000 – 30,000 residential buildings with replacement values estimated at $5–$8 billion.